Electric scooters not allowed on motor roads: Shanghai police

A visitor tries out an electric self-balancing scooter during an event at the Shanghai International Exhibition Center. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Electric scooters and segways are enjoying enormous popularity in China. However, driving them on roads is not advised as it's illegal and also very dangerous.

Traffic police in Shanghai recently staged a campaign to get electric scooters off motor roads, reported CCTV. In just half an hour, traffic police in Huangpu District of Shanghai dealt with three cases of illegally using electric scooters on motor roads. According to one local police officer, the electric scooter can achieve a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour which would prove a danger to other traffic, especially at night as they do not have lights, and do not brake easily when travelling at a high speed.

There have been reports in Beijing and Shanghai of people being injured or even killed while using electric scooters. In 2015, a driver of electric scooter was sentenced to prison terms and fined 650,000 yuan (around $97,500) after fatally hitting a man in Shanghai. Reports say the reason for the accident was that the driver failed to brake in time.

As a result, many cities in China including Shanghai have banned electric scooters on motor roads. In some other countries, there are stricter regulations covering electronic scooters. In Japan, for example, they are not allowed to be used on motor roads and drivers must have a special license to use them.

Industry insiders warn that China still lacks industry standards for electric scooters, and the quality of electric scooters sold on the Chinese markets can't be guaranteed.